On Dec. 22, ROC nationals received their best-ever Christmas gift when Eric H. Madison, acting director of the American Institute in Taiwan, announced Taiwan’s candidacy for the U.S. Visa Waiver Program. This long-awaited news reaffirms the value of ROC President Ma Ying-jeou’s flexible diplomacy approach and buoys expectations of closer ties between the two nations.
The decision, which Madison described as testament to the hard work and cooperation between officials in Taiwan and the U.S., is one locals have been awaiting a long time. It can be seen principally as a credit to the great economic, social, and political progress the nation has made over the years.
Securing U.S. visa-free entry for Taiwan’s 23 million people has been a top priority for the ROC government. To achieve this goal, every step has been taken to ensure Taiwan’s anti-terrorism and immigration procedures meet U.S. requirements, and ROC passports and issuing practices are on par with the best in the world.
The most recent development in this process saw first-time ROC passport applicants required to submit their paperwork in person from July 1 at one of four Ministry of Foreign Affairs consular services offices in Hualien, Kaohsiung, Taichung or Taipei. In addition, identity verification procedures are now carried out on the spot, with those under 14 vouched for by adult relatives.
This improvement, along with the introduction of biometric passports Dec. 29, 2008, directly addresses a U.S. complaint that in the past, Taiwan’s passport issuing practices were abused by human traffickers. It is also a milestone on the path to achieving U.S. visa-free entry as mapped out in the Principles for Cooperation on Improving Travel Security inked Dec. 19, 2008, between the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the U.S. and the AIT.
The government’s commitment to exchanging information on lost and stolen passports and lowering Taiwan’s visa refusal rate below the 3-percent threshold also played a part in the decision. As did the small percentage of ROC travelers overstaying their visas in the U.S., a trend reflecting the prosperity and political and social stability of the island.
In response, Ma welcomed the AIT decision, describing Taiwan’s candidacy as milestone in Taiwan-U.S. relations. Echoing the president’s remarks, MOFA Minister Timothy C.T. Yang said the nomination was extremely good news but refused to be drawn on when Taiwan could expect to get the VWP green light.
Sources close to the MOFA suggest U.S. Congress could make a decision in the latter half of next year. But before this happens, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security needs to conduct an on-site review of Taiwan’s anti-terrorism and immigration procedures. There is no set timeframe for this part of the process, with each candidate a different kettle of fish.
Jason C. Yuan, ROC representative to the U.S. and staunch advocate of Taiwan’s admission into the VWP, cast some light on the matter when he said the inspection could begin after the Christmas and New Year vacation. This opinion was backed up by Remus Chen, deputy director-general of MOFA’s Department of North American Affairs, who said Dec. 27 that he expects the visit to take place by February at the latest.
For the people of Taiwan, being included in the VWP means more than just being able to visit the U.S. without a visa for up to 90 days. It means that their country can rightfully take its place alongside 36 others in being viewed by the world’s greatest democracy as an upstanding and responsible stakeholder in the international community.
Of course, there a short-term financial benefits if Taiwan is admitted into the program. ROC citizens traveling to the U.S. will no longer have to pay NT$4,340 (US$143) for an AIT-issued visa, instead applying for a US$14 pre-departure online permit. It is estimated that the number of non-immigrant visas issued last year to travelers from Taiwan at 150,000.
Washington has repeatedly stated that Taipei could not be included in the VWP until all requirements outlined in the travel security agreement were satisfied. It now appears that this threshold has been crossed, meaning that government efforts—along with pragmatic cross-strait policies aimed at establishing closer trade and cultural ties with mainland China—are paying significant dividends.
The most obvious result of this approach is the increasing number of countries, territories and regions extend visa-free privileges to ROC citizens. According to the MOFA, 123 governments offer visa-free entry or landing visas to ROC passport holders, including those of Canada, Croatia, the EU, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Singapore, South Korea and the U.K.
The ROC and U.S. have long enjoyed close relations that reflect a shared respect for liberty, democracy, freedom, human rights and the rule of law. With bilateral ties at their highest point in 11 years, it is now time for the U.S. to take the next step and recognize the value of this special friendship by adding Taiwan to the growing list of nations that have extended visa-free entry to ROC nationals and afforded the country the respect it deserves.
Nick du Toit is a freelance writer based in Kinmen County. These views are the author’s and not necessarily those of Taiwan Today. Copyright © 2011 by Nick du Toit
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